“You're lucky they know you personally, fellow ANBU and all,” Hyuuga Neji said
after what could be described as a snicker.

Shikamaru put down his tea after taking a sip. “Yeah, well, with the noise she was making I doubt they
thought I was assassinating the Sunagakure liaison, whoever I was.”

Neji snorted around the dango he was biting. “Still, to actually leave through
the exact window where they stood guard…”

“It was the closest, least troublesome way out.”

“Whatever. I still can't believe you slept with a kunoichi who’s not only a Sunagakure jounin three years older
than you, but is sister to the Kazekage.” Neji paused to laugh a
little. “And you say you’re the biggest coward in Konoha.”

His pony tailed friend just smirked.

-----------------------------------------

“They’re that good?” Nara Shikamaru asked as he moved a piece on the
shougi board.

“Hm,” Hyuuga Neji affirmed quietly, pondering a move. “All of them seem to have
chakra at least as strong as Naruto, if not stronger.”

“Hn,” Shikamaru grunted, rubbing his chin lazily as his brain automatically
calculated possibilities regarding Akatsuki’s strength upon hearing the new
information. “Well, at least everything turned out okay. In fact, losing the
Ichibi might be a good thing for Gaara.”

Shikamaru folded his right knee up and crossed his legs. “The first thing I did
was look in to it.”

“And?”

“Found it in old classified ANBU records.”

The young Hyuuga let out a worried look. Shikamaru just sighed as he continued,
“An ANBU Root operative has that jutsu.”

Neji scowled, not liking the implication. “That organization was disbanded long
ago. Even if that operative was still alive, he would have been in his thirties
at least, whereas the nin that attacked you three was no older than us.”

“I talked to Tsunade soon after,” the younger shinobi responded. “She said not
to worry and that she'd already taken the countermeasures.”

“That’s it? She didn’t tell you anything else?”

Shikamaru shrugged. “Need to know only. You know how it is. I’m only a chuunin
after all, reserve ANBU or not.”

Neji sat up from his relaxed position. “Maybe if I-”

“Don’t.” Shikamaru cut him off in a firm tone so out of character, Neji had to
turn his head to see if he was still talking to same person. “The higher-ups
know what they’re doing. This is the kind of situation where we can only wait
and see.”

The jounin sighed and decided to drop the subject, going back to accompanying
his friend in silent cloud-watching. Besides, another friend had already
plopped down near them while opening a bag of chips and an oversized puppy was
bounding towards them, another young friend of theirs on its back.

Ever since he had become friends with Shikamaru, Neji had slowly also become
friends with all the fifteen-year-old chuunins that was once he considered
lower than him. It happened so naturally, the proud Hyuuga hardly noticed it
much less thought of the ‘how’ or ‘why’ of it.

-----------------------------------------

“…and he is now a part of Cell 7,” Shikamaru finished his story, pulling a snug
black tank top down to cover his torso. On the bed beside him, bone-colored
armor and plates were laid precariously next to a sword and mask.

Neji sat quietly on the edge of that very same bed. He had come to see if
Shikamaru was available for a game of Shougi or two, catching the young Nara
right after he had hurriedly returned from a hospital visit because of an
unexpected ANBU mission. The last ten minutes were spent listening to Tsunade’s
debriefing on the Uchiha Sasuke situation and about an ANBU Root personnel
named Sai the chuunin had met at the hospital.

“How come Sasuke wasn’t declared Nuke-nin?” asked Neji after analyzing the
information in his head. Shikamaru propped a foot on the bed.

“Politics,” he answered in his usual bored tone as he strapped on a leg armor
plate.

‘Ah, of course,’ Neji thought as he scowled in dislike. Sasuke was the only
Uchiha left since Itachi had been declared Nuke-nin years ago. Not only was the
Sharingan a very powerful blood limit, the name Uchiha itself was like a symbol
to Konoha shinobi. It would be best not to give up on those before trying
everything. As public knowledge, Sasuke didn’t run away, he was kidnapped.

-----------------------------------------

Neji let the bird fly back to Konoha. The news was dreadful and the order was
specific. Sarutobi Asuma had died and the rest of the Nijuu Shotai were to
continue their search for the team of Akatsuki that had snuck in to Fire
Country.

He wouldn’t be able to attend the funeral or check up on his best friend.

The young jounin briefed his team about the new situation with a worried frown.
He hoped Shikamaru was alright.

-----------------------------------------

“I heard you made jounin. Congratulations,” Neji said as he sat down. This was
the first chance he got to see his friend after the whole Akatsuki fiasco. ‘I’m
sorry I wasn’t there,’ his eyes said.

“Troublesome,” Shikamaru said with a sigh, tapping his cigarette on the
ashtray. ‘Don’t worry about it,’ his eyes said.

“So how did Godaime-sama finally rope you into it?”

“She said, and I quote, ‘It’s a promotion, not an offer. Dismissed.’”

Neji snorted, “Well, you had it coming. After all that fuss she made when you
refused to enter the Jounin Exam, you’re lucky she waited until now to promote
you.”

Shikamaru poured more sake into his shooter. “Trouble-”

“Quit your whining, Nara,” the older jounin scoffed. “You’re the one who
decided to show off by having your team defeat two immortal S-Rank ninja and
bring back a talking head for Morino-san to play with.”

Said Nara took a drag of his cigarette before pointing out, “You mean Kakashi’s
team.”

“Officially, yes.” A pause. “Have you read his report?”

Shikamaru shook his head and gave his friend a questioning look. Why would he?
Neji answered the look with, “He stated that all tactical decisions,
including the accurate estimation of the enemy’s location, were made by a team
member who, and I quote, ‘has jounin-level battle skills and ninja sense, with
extraordinary leadership and tactical genius.’ Now what was that shinobi’s name
again? Nara something…”

This time Shikamaru raised an eyebrow with dread. Mission reports were
classified material. He didn’t like where this was going. “And how did you know
that?”

Neji gave him his usual smug smirk. “Everybody
knows. Why did you think nobody said anything when Godaime-sama promoted a lazy
ass like you to a Tokubetsu Jounin who functions as War Leader?”

Shikamaru drank his sake in one shot. He needed it bad.

“There were talks about making that mission a case scenario in the academy’s
advanced strategy class. Along with your way of handling it, of course.”

“I can just picture it: In the case of facing two immortals, go with Shikamaru
Maneuver 1.0, proceed with other versions of the Shikamaru Maneuver accordingly
during battle-”

Shikamaru flicked his cigarette and successfully burned a hole in Neji’s
pristine shirt.

-----------------------------------------

“Do you think he’ll snap out of it?” Neji asked quietly.

“Hn,” answered Shikamaru while lighting a cigarette. “Naruto and Sakura won’t
let him not snap out of it.”

They walked in silence afterwards, slightly behind their other friends. Seeing
what was once the most promising shinobi in Konoha turned in to an unresponsive
occupant of their hospital’s mental patient ward wasn’t exactly an uplifting
experience, especially knowing that their lives would continue like nothing had
happened. They would go on with missions and other activities while Uchiha
Sasuke sat quietly in his room, blood-red eyes staring at nothing.

-----------------------------------------

Neji and Shikamaru walked wearily out of the mission room and into the night
that was too warm for comfort. They had just reported in after their respective
missions, both successful but filled with chaos and death. Their usual easy
conversation was gone, and their companionable silence was now overbearing. In
a dark alley they had taken as a shortcut, both moved at the same time.

Shikamaru, burning cigarette thrown away, fisted his friend’s shirt the same
time Neji grabbed his shoulders with bruising force. The kiss came
simultaneously, hard and severe. Neji didn’t even realize he had let Shikamaru
push him into a wall as he concentrated only on touch, feeling nothing but the
greedy mouth sucking his tongue and the flak vest pressing hard against him.

The rest went by even more blurred to both of them. Shikamaru vaguely
remembered having Neji’s legs locked tight around his waist while he thrust
harder and faster, mind blissfully vacant from its customary unconscious
turmoil of both inane and vital information processing. Neji barely remembered
anything other than jolts of pleasure and exquisite pain that shut down his
brain and blew apart his senses.

What they did remember clearly
was how their comfortable silence and easy conversation had returned, even as
Neji put on his pants while Shikamaru pulled up his zipper.

-----------------------------------------

“Shikamaru! You’re late, you lazy bum!” Yamanaka Ino practically screeched. The
recipient of said screech merely walked in with his usual bored expression,
hands in his pockets and a burning cigarette perched between his lips.

“Hn. Happy birthday.”

“And a belated happy sweet sixteen to you, slow poke. Where were you anyway? I
couldn’t find you yesterday, and now that I’m nice enough to also make this
party your birthday party, you’re late!”

Shikamaru was unperturbed by the loud rant. “Mission. Just got back.”

Ino “hmph”-ed and Shikamaru took it as a signal to escape. He quickly walked
away, idly waving off the “happy birthday”s thrown his way by his friends, and
stood by the window so he could smoke without anyone fussing. Next to the
window was Hyuuga Neji, relieved to see the only person he could actually talk
to after playing wallflower for nearly an hour.

“I’m working,” Neji said with a glance towards his cousin. Shikamaru followed
the glance and chortled. Hinata was simpering, index fingers poking each other,
face so red she could’ve had a fever. In front of her, Naruto was trying rather
desperately to catch the attention of a pink-haired kunoichi who was too busy
flirting with Sasuke to notice, while Sasuke glared at anyone stupid enough to
catch his eyes.

“Idiots,” mumbled the two jounins at the same time.

-----------------------------------------

“Happy New Year!” everyone in the bar shouted. The party had gotten somewhat
out of control, regardless of it being a jounin and invites only celebration.
Of course, with the way the drinks kept coming, perhaps it wasn’t that
surprising.

Neji was frustrated by the fact that while he was already feeling the room spin
all around him, Shikamaru was still as alert as a good shinobi on a mission. It
wasn’t because the young Nara hadn’t been drinking, oh no. The most annoying
fact was that they all knew Shikamaru had drank just as much if not more than
they had. Damn Naras with their knowledge in medicine and their tradition of
pumping themselves full of it since birth to have an absurdly strong tolerance
towards any alien substance in their bodies.

Contrary to popular belief, being the sober one at a party was not a good
thing. Not when the party was filled with drunken Konoha jounins, and most
definitely not when you kept laughing at said drunken jounins whenever
they failed to do anything simple like walking or grabbing a glass.

Jounins are good with teamwork, inebriated or not, and when Anko started to lap
dance on Shikamaru, everyone picked up on the cue. It took a Hyuuga, one
Shiranui, a bit of Namiashi and Hatake combo, plus a whole Umino to hold the
strategist down while a cackling Mitarashi poured full bottles of sake, beer,
and everything else she found within reach in to the poor genius’ mouth. The
other jounins and invites cheered them on.

When morning came, Neji found himself blinking at a ceiling he didn’t recognize
with an incessant pounding inside his head. The first fact he acknowledged was
his naked state. The second one was that he was lying on the floor next to an
equally naked Shikamaru who had also just woke up and was rubbing his forehead
with a muffled groan, which was not surprising. The third fact he acknowledged,
and the most disturbing one, was that a purple-haired, naked kunoichi was lying
on top of them. If those facts didn’t hit them upside the head with a clue of
how the night had ended, the reek of sex did.

Shikamaru looked at him with a painful look that said, ‘We didn't… did we?’

When Anko stirred and started to groan, signaling to the two young men under
her that she was waking up with a hangover just as bad, one word came from both
of them: “Shit.”

-----------------------------------------

“I want to be ANBU,” Sasuke stated in his usual imposing tone, eyes glaring. He
had passed the chuunin exam with a team that consisted of Naruto, Sai and
himself a couple of months ago, and now he was in a hurry to step up the career
ladder.

Shikamaru was unfazed. “And you’re telling me this, why?”

“Hn. You’re an ANBU Reserve who’s also Konoha’s strategist. The whole ANBU
force listens to anything you say. If you told them to, they’d recruit me.”

The other people at the table consisted of Sakura, Chouji and Neji. And they
started to get anxious. They knew Shikamaru was never comfortable talking about
his position with his friends, and Sasuke wasn’t exactly using the right
approach.

“That, Uchiha Sasuke, is the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard.” The pony
tailed jounin paused to swallow his barbeque and drink his water. “Besides,
even if I did have such power
over ANBU, what makes you think I should tell them about you?”

Sasuke didn’t budge. “I have more than just the right capabilities. We all know
the rumors about ANBU Reserve. I’d be perfect as one.”

“Hm?” Shikamaru asked serenely, lighting a cigarette. They could all feel the
tension thickening, particularly with the commanding air Shikamaru started
exuding, one that was usually reserved for missions or tactical briefings in
jounin meetings. “How so?”

Sakura tried to amend the situation. “Ah, those are just rumors. Don’t take him
seriously, Shikamaru. Sasuke-kun was just-”

“You know ‘how’,” the Uchiha survivor cut her off. He looked Shikamaru right in
the eyes and continued with a low voice, “I can see it in your eyes. You’ve
killed people.”

Chouji tried his version of damage control. “Ne, Sasuke, we’re shinobi. We've all killed at one time or another in
battle. You’re being-“

“I said people, not other
shinobi.” Sasuke smirked at Shikamaru. “And I never said anything about battle either.”

Neji frowned. That was a low blow. Sasuke was lucky that Shikamaru was a Nara,
and as such, had no temper what-so-ever if not complete control over his
psyche. If it were anyone else, the Uchiha clan would have lost its one and
only chance of revival.

This time Sasuke hesitated, eyes darkening. After casting faint glances towards
the other three, he made a decision and answered, “While in Orochimaru’s forces
I’ve… seen things. Done things.
And I can see in your eyes that you understand what I’m talking about. I’m
possibly even more qualified than you are.”

Shikamaru took a deep drag of his cigarette. “It’s funny you should say that,”
pause, exhale, “After all, I wasn’t the one spending almost a year in
Konoha’s mental facility acting like a potted plant.”

Everyone froze. Sasuke even more so. Shikamaru decided to fill the silence by
adding more of his two cents, peacefully smoking. “You’re weak, Sasuke, and I’m
not talking about your fighting abilities. Your very decision to go to
Orochimaru in the first place showed that.”

Inhale. “You wanted to be stronger than Itachi, sure. But rather than gaining
strength with your own power, you actually chose to sacrifice your body
and mind, not to mention your own village, in exchange for Orochimaru’s.”

Exhale. “That, of course, begged the question of whether or not you have any
willpower at all. Weak and self-centered. How troublesome.”

Inhale. “Aside from being weak, you’re also remarkably stupid.”

Exhale. “Even if your idiotic
plan had worked, the one who killed Itachi wouldn’t have been you. It would’ve
been Orochimaru in your body. Seriously, Sasuke, what were you thinking?”

“Stop.” The voice was so small they barely heard it. It was still firm though.
“Please.”

Shikamaru stopped, cigarette perched between two relaxed fingers on the table.
He just looked at Sasuke with his usual bored expression, the other young man
not looking back, face hidden behind his hair. Chouji waited calmly like he
usually did whenever Shikamaru took charge of a situation, ready to play back
up if needed. Neji followed his lead. Sakura was near tears.

“I take it we won’t be hearing about ANBU from you anymore,” Shikamaru finally
said.

Sasuke took a shaky deep breath, but his voice still managed to came out firm.
“Yes.”

Shikamaru took another drag before calmly asking, “Do you need to excuse
yourself?”

“Yes,” answered Sasuke, still looking down with his fists clenched.

The jounin nodded, cigarette between his lips. “Go on. I’ll take care of the
bill.”

Sasuke stood up. “Thank you for the meal,” he said before leaving. They could
hear his footsteps turning into a run the minute he got outside. Sakura bolted
after him.

After a bit of silence, a sizzling noise was heard as Chouji grilled a piece of
meat.

“Well,” he said with his usual happy voice, “that’s surely something you don’t
see everyday.”

The two jounins snorted before Neji suddenly thought of something and asked,
“Did you pick up that trick from your time in ANBU Torture and Interrogation
Unit?”

Shikamaru smirked around his cigarette. “Yeah. Cool, huh?”

-----------------------------------------

“I didn’t think they’d be this adamant about it,” Neji huffed in frustration.

“Well, it is one of the Hyuuga’s fundamental traditions,” Shikamaru said
calmly. He moved one of his pawns before continuing, “I think you’re the one
making this troublesome. Just marry that distant cousin of yours and everything
will be fine.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” the older jounin grumbled. “You’re not the one
who has to marry some girl you hardly know.”

Shikamaru lit up a cigarette. “Then get to know her. Do you even know her
name?”

“Her name is Hinako. She’s seventeen, your age by the way, and she’s a member
of the branch family.” Neji paused and moved his knight. “She doesn’t have
Byakugan, so she didn’t become a ninja.”

“Hm,” Shikamaru responded while scanning the board. “Is she ugly?”

“Wha-? No. Actually she’s quite pretty. Why?”

“If that’s the case then I really don’t know what the problem is,” the young
Nara answered while moving his rook. “She’s pretty, and since a Hyuuga isn’t
allowed to marry before the age of eighteen you still have a year to get to
know each other.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why? Is it because you have feelings for someone else outside your clan? If that’s
the case then I’m officially offended. I can’t believe you never told me, being
your best friend and all.” Shikamaru paused to smirk before saying, “And with
benefits, no less.”

“Ha ha. Very funny, Nara. No, I don’t have feelings for anyone outside or inside
my clan. That’s not the problem,” Neji said with a glare, callously capturing
Shikamaru’s knight.

“Then what is?”

“I don’t want to get married. To anyone. Not when my children will end
up with a god damn seal on
their foreheads.”

Shikamaru tapped his cigarette on an ashtray, eyes studying his friend
intently. Apparently, the issue was deeper than Neji’s dislike of having his
life controlled by his family. He would offer his help, but he knew this was
something Neji wanted to deal with on his own.

“You know,” he said after pondering for a while. “You could always just get a
vasectomy.”

Neji threw a shougi piece at him.

-----------------------------------------

Neji was glad when he saw that the lights were on in Shikamaru’s bachelor
apartment, otherwise his midnight roof-jumping would’ve been for nothing. His
young friend had rented the place because it was only a block away from ANBU
headquarters and closer to the mission office compared to his house, but he
only stayed there after missions, opting for the comfort of his family’s house
when he wasn’t going anywhere.

Since the Hyuuga compound was also quite far from the mission office, Shikamaru
had given him a spare key with the offer of a closer place to sleep whenever he
was too tired to go home after a mission. He had used the key many times in the
past two years, to drop dead after a mission or just to get away from his
family. Or, like tonight…

Shikamaru only needed one look at Neji’s face to know what his friend had come
for. He merely greeted, “Bad night?”

“Hn,” answered the long haired jounin absentmindedly as he relocked the door.

As was habitual, no more words were exchanged before Neji found himself naked
and writhing in pleasure under his best friend, practically screwed into the
mattress. It was puzzling really, how they could understand each other without
having to say anything. When one came around, the other would know what was
expected. That was saying something, seeing as they sought each other out for
many reasons; a friendly chat, a heavy discussion, a quiet companionship, a
game of shougi, sex.

When both young men started to fall asleep in their dazed, contented state,
they didn’t need to say anything to thank each other for those occasional
chances of having their minds completely blank. The morning would be filled
with easy conversation and friendly banter during breakfast, and then they
would go on their separate ways.

-----------------------------------------

Hyuuga Hinata’s eighteenth birthday was celebrated in a traditional, elaborate
manner. It was the presentation of the next Hyuuga clan leader, after all. All
clans and other invites, which consisted of fellow shinobi and acquaintances of
the family, came with formal attire and were seated according to the order of
their stature.

Branch family members were in charge of security. Neji, being the most favored
one by their clan leader, was stationed right behind Hinata to act as her
bodyguard. That was why he got a full view of shinobi dropping their jaws with
eyes widened to impossible proportions when the Nara clan leader and heir
arrived.

The shock was double. One was from seeing the fact that Nara Shikamaru was the
heir of his clan, and another from seeing the slothful jounin walking -- and not
slouching -- with a majestic presence as natural as Hyuuga Hiashi’s himself.
The shock was triple for poor Neji, since that was the moment he realized his
younger friend had actually outgrown him, even if only by an inch.

Eventually, as the ceremonies and speeches ended, the shock wore off and
everyone just plain enjoyed themselves, mingling and partying.

“Since when are you the next clan leader of Nara?” Neji asked once he reached
his best friend.

“Since I was six,” answered the younger jounin while lighting a cigarette.

While Neji was garbed in formal white male kimono like the other Hyuuga males,
Shikamaru was clad fully in formal Nara regalia that consisted of a black
hakama and gi, covered by a black haori adorned with the Nara symbol on the
back. His hair was tied up into its customary ponytail by a metal band that
also carried the Nara symbol.

The whole getup was a far cry from Shikamaru’s usual shabby shinobi attire and
ugly hair tie. Not to mention the relaxed yet commanding presence he
continuously exuding without realizing it. Neji could understand why some of
their friends were still staring at the genius behind his back. Not that said
genius didn’t notice.

“I don’t understand,” said the Hyuuga. “Your father isn’t the clan leader, but
you’re the clan heir?”

“Oh,” Neji responded with a thoughtful frown. “Are there any particular
guidelines in choosing an heir?”

The younger man exhaled smoke. “Only that it has to be a male. In fact, our
current clan leader, who is my distant uncle by the way, isn’t even a shinobi.
But he’s an excellent businessman and his wise and caring nature makes him a
good leader.”

Neji smiled sadly. “That’s nice.”

The two young jounins stood in silence afterwards, atmosphere suddenly
distressing. They were saved, surprisingly, by none other than Hyuuga Hiashi.

“Neji. I never knew you were well acquainted with the heir of the Nara clan.”

“Ojii-sama,” Neji greeted his uncle. Shikamaru just nodded politely.

“So you’re the famous Nara Shikamaru,” Hiashi said, turning his attention to
his young guest with a smile. “I never thought Konoha’s strategist was someone
my daughter’s age, and a friend of my nephew, no less.”

Shikamaru returned the hospitality with an obligatory smile. “We share quite a
bit of interests, like shougi, for one.”

“Oi! Shikamaru!” a voice suddenly called. It sounded like Naruto.

“Deer-brat! Come here for a minute!” That was undoubtedly the Hokage. People
were starting to get loud in there.

“If you’ll excuse me,” the young Nara said with a nod.

Hiashi let him go. “Of course. Please, enjoy yourself.”

Neji didn’t have a chance to get away before his uncle said, “It’s good to see
you being friendly with shinobi your age. You’re always so serious, sometimes I
worry. From what Hinata just told me, that Shikamaru seems to be a nice young
man. Is he a good friend?”

For a split second Neji had to think about that. They understood each other
enough that sometimes words were unnecessary. They trusted each other
completely; the Konoha War Leader had no compunction in sharing classified
information and the older jounin never thought twice before sharing stories
about his clan’s disgraceful secrets. They even trusted each other enough to
share their weakest moments, which usually led to sharing their bodies. One
never demanded or expected anything from the other. Their friendship was as
reassuring and comfortable as no other thing in his life could be for, Neji
knew, they would remain friends no matter what happened, sex notwithstanding.
The answer was right there.